Will A Dental Extraction Actually Save Your Smile?

When you think of saving a smile, you probably picture our steps to replace missing teeth, or how we provide lifelike repairs for damaged ones, often using fillings or crowns. However, sometimes saving your smile from major oral health complications means we need to take out a tooth completely. In today’s blog, your Independence, MO, dentist looks at when tooth extraction is the right call!

When we find a tooth needs to be removed, we will start by administering a local anesthetic and for some, sedation to ensure you feel calm and comfortable throughout the entre process. We then gently extract the tooth with a pair of forceps. We then suture the area closed, and a friend or family member will take you home. We provide detailed aftercare instructions as well. The procedure only takes a short amount of time, but helps protect your overall oral health.

We may suggest one when a tooth is severely decayed or infected, and lack of removal could allow infection to reach surrounding teeth. We also take our damaged teeth if the injuries are too severe to be treated with a crown. If a tooth is loosened by gum disease, we can take it out too. We might also remove a tooth if you have severe misalignment and we need to take one out to make room to reposition the others. However, the most common reason is to prevent complications related to wisdom tooth eruption. Our wisdom teeth, also known a third molars, are up to four additional molars that erupt in our late teens and early 20s. Without removal, they can become impacted, only partially erupting and leading to a higher risk of tooth decay, infection, damaged teeth, and misalignment. To preserve your smile, we may take out these additional molars prior to eruption!

You will return homer and take any prescribed medications as we instruct, and take care for the first day or two to avoid strenuous activities, eat only soft foods, brush and floss carefully, and avoid straws or prodding the extraction site with your tongue. We will remove the sutures in follow-up visits. If you have a gap in your smile, we can replace the lost tooth with a bridge, partial denture, or dental implant.

Often removing a damaged or decayed tooth could help prevent major complications for your smile. To learn more about preventing issues like wisdom tooth impaction, schedule a consultation by contacting Independence Family and Cosmetic Dentistry in Independence, MO, today at 816-350-0808. We also proudly serve patients who live in Blue Springs, Kansas City, and all surrounding communities.